874 
practice it is easier than “rolling over in bed,” espe¬ 
cially at 4 A. M. Mr. Dougan says that no man’s 
hens are cared for who does not clean out the drop¬ 
pings oftener than once a week. I own up. Mine 
are not cleaned out as often as that. If they get it 
once a month they are sometimes lucky. Yet they 
are laying as well as his, and the eggs hatch better. 
I go on the assumption that when the droppings dry 
daily so-that there is no fermentation they are not harm¬ 
ful. The same is true in Winter, when the droppings 
freeze to the table each night. Warm days in Winter 
and Spring are the time to be on your guard against 
fermentation. 
I still insist that five minutes a day is ample time 
to take care of 200 hens, or 50 minutes a day for 
2,000, if you please, with the proper outfit, and that 
the droppings amply pay for all the time “my man” 
devotes to his share of the harder labor. Does not 
the essence of good business consist in having the 
bulk of the labor performed by hired laborers and 
still have a balance left for the one who directs 
operations? Mr. Clements asks: “In what shape 
would a flock of hens be at the end of a year if they 
had only the prescribed five minutes a day, even 
with labor-saving devices?” Let him look at Fig. 
203, page 607. These hens have now been kept a 
year in this way, and are now in even better shape 
than when the camera was used. o. w. mapes. 
“FARM POULTRY.” 
At Fig. 345 is shown a good group of old-fash¬ 
ioned Barred Rocks. Time was when a ride through 
any Eastern farming section was sure to bring in view 
flocks of these speckled beauties. They were every¬ 
where—the popular farmer’s fowl. Now the speckled 
color has largely disappeared. The pure whites drove 
the barred fowls away and the R. I. Reds are coming 
more and more to displace the whites. Some patriot 
will no doubt soon revive the old Jersey Blue fowl 
and make his henyard represent the American flag. 
It seems like old times to see a yardful of the 'barred 
birds. When well bred they can still hold their own. 
BRAHMA HENS IN HARNESS. 
This picture will show you the kind of chickens we raise 
in Texas. Note the comparative size of the team and the 
driver, Joshua Bonham, and Feet, the rooster. 
That is what L. O. Bonham of Johnson Co., Texas, 
wrote when he sent the picture shown at Fig. 344. 
The bird is nearly as large as the baby. Many 
farmers shake their heads at Light Brahmas because 
they think such great fowls eat too much for what 
they give back. We asked Mr. Bonham to tell us 
why he thinks the Brahmas are best, and this is his 
answer: v 
How many study the surrounding conditions when se¬ 
lecting a breed of chickens? We have been growing the 
Light Brahmas for the past 11 years, and this is the rea¬ 
son why. Our chickens have the range of the orchard, 
berry patch, garden and vineyard, and to control them it is 
only necessary to have a portable two-foot wire net fence, 
to move from place to place as necessary, and while they 
are good hustlers they are not wild rangers. Some say 
they are too large, but when we go to market and one 
of them will bring as much as two of many other breeds 
they cannot object to that. If you put the eggs on the 
scales you will find that they laid as many pounds of 
eggs as the best, and they do most of their laying in the 
Winter and Spring when eggs are a good price. They are 
the hardiest chickens we have ever had, they are just as 
fine at the table as any. They are the first friers at the 
market in the Spring; that is if you have an incubator 
or some other hen to do the hatching, as they will not 
set until late in the Spring, but will continue laying, and 
after all when you go to the show you will hear more 
comments of the Brahmas than any other breed ; that is, 
from people that are not interested in special breeds. 
_ L. O. BONHAM. 
A Hay Hoist. —The hayfork or hay sling has taken 
much of the terror out of haybarn life in July, but 
the power for hauling the forkful from the load still 
troubles some farmers. Most of them still use a 
horse or team for pulling the rope, but this is slow 
work, and the extra horse is not always available. 
In some cases the gasoline engine has been brought 
into use. This runs a wheel or drum, and lifts the 
load by winding up the rope. When under full and 
quick control this answers well, and proves a great 
help. The gasoline engine is one of the model hired 
men, for you can crowd all sorts of work upon it so 
long as the attachments fit. A homemade hay hoist is 
shown at Fig., and described as follows 
I scud a photograph of a hay hoist made from an old 
binder frame and gear, which works very successfully, hav¬ 
ing used it the present season on my farm, also for a 
neighbor with a 3% horse power gasoline engine. The 
lover in front throws it in and out of gear, and can be 
arranged to operate from the load. The hub of binder 
wheel is used as a spool, and holds about 200 feet of horse- 
fork rope, about all two horses could pull. j. k. r. 
Cairo, N. Y. _ 
Who can give a reason for the white star on the fore¬ 
head of so many dark-colored horses? What is it inher¬ 
ited from? 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
GREAT USE OF GASOLINE ENGINES. 
We own three gasoline engines on our farm, one 
eight horse power, one four, and one three. The 
eight horse-power we use to run a four-roll corn 
shredder, and run a 14-inch French burr feed grinder, 
and pump water from two wells, one 180 feet deep, 
the other 150 feet deep, and also run a 22-inch buzz 
saw to saw stove wood. This engine has been in use 
for six years and is as good as new, giving splendid 
satisfaction. We can do our corn shredding at any 
time when we see fit, as we can do it cheaper, with 
less hands, and have it in better shape than when 
shredding with a big machine, for it is a portable 
engine on trucks, which we can move anywhere on 
the farm. We move around from one barn to an¬ 
other, thereby putting the fodder in less quantity, and 
curing it better than if we hired a large machine to 
do the work. We have a building that we put our 
engine in, where we hitch to our feed grinder, wood 
saw and pumps. The four horse-power engine we 
use to run an electric light plant, which we have on 
the farm, about 76 lights in all, barns and dwelfing 
house. We have this engine located in a building 
by itself, and dynamo storage batteries. We can 
attach this engine to a pressure tank as soon as we 
get the tank installed for fire protection. This en¬ 
gine we have been using for about two years, and is 
giving splendid satisfaction. It cost us about one 
gallon of gasoline per day to keep our lights in 
operation, that is Winter and Summer, a very cheap 
light we think, and perfectly safe in all respects. The 
other engine is the three horse-power attached to a 
hoisting drum which we unload hay with. We can 
unload twice as fast as with horses. We have not 
put this engine to very much work, for last year was 
HOME-MADE HAY HOIST. Fig. 346 
our first work with it. We intend to run a cream 
separator and pressure tanks in dwelling house this 
season, and also washing machine when we finish 
haying. As for farm power, there is nothing to 
equal the gasoline engine; it is always ready to go. 
This electric light engine we have is made purposely 
for the business; it runs so steadily you cannot see 
a flicker in the lights, and we can use the engine for 
other work if we choose. JOS. kemp. 
Lafayette Co., Wis. 
PEACHES vs. GRAIN AND HAY. 
That there is profit in fruit growing no one doubts. 
It has always seemed to me that it depended upon 
the combination of right location, favorable market 
and the person back of the work (in many cases). 
We have raised peaches for over 20 years, but I 
know some of the orchards, or at least part of them, 
have never given any profit, either in themselves or 
compared with grain. Fruit growing takes a great 
deal of perseverance and careful, hard work. Many 
persons start out well, but few come in on the finish¬ 
ing stretch as winners of profit, owing to careless¬ 
ness, frost, moving and other things. Careless or 
poor cultivation is one of the great causes of failure. 
Next—if not first—the peach borer, or grub, ruins 
more orchards in this section than any other one 
cause, especially in making a short lived tree. But 
lest I digress too far from my original intention I 
will give a few facts and comparisons of an orchard 
we have on our present place. 
When we came here in 1905 there was a young 
three-year-old peach orchard of about 5 J /2 acres. 
Originally there must have been 600 to 700 trees. Now 
there are 500 left. Three sides hurt by large trees, 
two windstorms, and damage done by grubs have 
greatly lessened the number that a fair open field 
would retain. These facts make the figures given 
show only a fair average. This orchard is favorably 
located as to protection, by the woods on the north, 
September 2, 
and hill also. But the trees hurt the production. I 
give a few figures which show the approximate re¬ 
turns from this orchard, also an estimated table of 
the grain returns for the same field as a matter of 
comparison. They speak for themselves. The few 
amounts estimated—by averaging—would not change 
the totals very much. Part of the peaches were sold 
at retail. 
Not everything is taken into consideration as re¬ 
turns or expenses. But I think the remainder would 
about balance. If I knew the average cost of raising 
a bushel of grain or ton of hay it could be figured 
closer. The cost of planting the orchard and final 
clearing up is omitted. I considered the first two 
grain crops and the rest of the peaches would about 
balance these. There will be a fair crop on it this 
year and had the grubs been kept out it would have 
been good for as much more profit as it has given: 
Results of 5’2 Acres in Peaches. 
Year 
Rece 
B as¬ 
kets, 
hi bu. 
IPTS. 
Av'ge 
Price 
bskt. 
Gross 
Re¬ 
turns 
Spraying 
Mate- m. „ 
rial Time 
Expenses. 
Gathering, etc. 
1905 
100 
$ .70 
$ 70 
1 1 
Baskets. .5,218®3 1 2 cts 
—$182.73 
1 bill, oil* 
Picking.. .5,218® 4 cts 
— 208.72 
1906 
126 
.96 
120 
$'5.00 $7.50* 
Carting...5,218® 10 cts 
— 521.10 
1907 
*808 
.73* 
590 
15.00 7.50* 
Fertilizer,1909—1 ton bone, 
1908 
1803 
.55 
991 
13.50 7.50* 
1 ton Kainit, 40.00 
Not all 
1910—1 ton bone, 
sprayed 
1 ton Kainit, 40.00 
1909 
1311 
.75 
988, 
7 00 4.50 
1910 
1070 
.69* 
725 
36.50 Hired 
$092.53 
done 
Gross returns...$3,407 
104.00 
by gal. 
Gross expenses.. 1,096 
$1,096 
Total 
5218 
.668 
$3,487 
$104.00 
Net returns.$2,391 
♦Estimated. 
Estimated Average Returns of Same 5*2 Acres for Same 
Time in Grain. 
Year 
Crop 
Average 
Average 
Total 
R’t’rns 
Estimated Cost of Cm ting. 
Yield 
Price 
Husking and Threshing. 
1905 
Corn 
100 bu. 
ears 
80c. cwt. 
ears 
$298.00 
$30.00. Cutting and Husking 
1906( 
Oats 
25 bu. 
35c. bn. 
47.60 
J 5.44, Threshing ® 4c. 
1 4.00, Cutting. 
1907 
Wheat 
17 (*?) 
90c. bu. 
83.70 
j 6.88, Cutting ® 1.25 acre. 
1 10.00, Threshing. 
1908 
Grass 
1 ton hay 
per acre 
$17 ton 
93,00 
j 25.00, est.. cost on wagon 
( and carting later. 
1909 
Grass 
1 ton hay 
per acre 
$17 ton 
93.00 
25.00 
Gross returns,$913 
1910 
Corn. 
100 bu. 
ears 
80c. cwt. 
298-00 
30.00 
Part 1 expen’s 136 
$913.30 
$136.32 
Net returns...$777 
When we started with _this orchard it was in 
bad shape from neglect in cultivation and trimming 
and severe effect of the scale. We sprayed for the 
San Jose scale with crude oil and water. This was 
done in the late Spring. We did no Fall spraying. 
The first year we used 20 per cent oil. Afterwards 
we used as low as 10 per cent when it would work 
low. Usually it had to be set at 15 per cent. As far 
as damage from scale went, the first spraying cleaned 
the trees. It was present in some places for several 
years. The oil never hurt the trees any. There 
being no scale in Spring of 1910 and 1911 we used 
lime-sulphur for a fungicide as the curl-leaf was ap¬ 
pearing. It was hard to find a curled leaf this Spring. 
The land being stony (or gravelly) and naturally 
running to grass quickly, we have had to use the 
plow more or less, but as shallow as possible. We 
believe in almost level, shallow cultivation with a 
harrow or cultivator. We widen the spring harrow 
with a long cross bar to save the trees. If possible, 
we cultivate the first thing in the Spring before the 
blossom opens, and keep the top thus mulched until 
in July or sometimes until the fruit prevents by 
spreading the limbs too much. We do not like to 
work in the orchard when it is in L’ossom nor about 
10 days later. It is apt to drop the fruit. 
The orchard was manured lightly several times. 
The henhouse being in one end that part has had 
considerable hen manure around the trees, because 
they were handy. The last three years we have put 
three to four pounds each of kainit and bone dust 
around the tree. This has given good fruit. 
The orchard was in bad condition as to shape of 
trees. We did the best we could to get some fair 
head. Although we have cut back the tops with a 
trimmer, some of the trees are now beyond reach. 
We believe in a low head, but not too low to cul¬ 
tivate around. In our young orchard we have cut 
back the leaders every year. In the past most of 
our trimming has been done in the Winter, but I am 
convinced it hurts the trees and shortens the life by 
starting decay. I now trim in May, except where 
Winter trimming is needed to start growth on old 
worn-out trees. w. G. 
Chester, N. J. _ 
The officers shall serve without financial remuneration, 
hut to cover any necessary expenses in advertising, etc., 
the following compensation will be allowed the secretary. 
For an average attendance of 50 or less, the secretary will 
be allowed $1.50. From 50 to 75 in attendance, $2. From 
75 to 100, $2.50. From 100 to 150, $3. From 150 to 200, 
$3.50. Over 200, $4. 
This taken from the bulletin of the West Virginia 
farmers’ institute. The secretary of an institute often 
has. a thankless task, with hard work and usually 
not even a “vote of thanks.” A live man can often 
get out a good audience, but he must wrk for it, 
and he ought to be paid. We would like to know 
how many of these men get their $4. 
